Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - TITANS SQUAD SHOW: Titans hire Robert Saleh REACTION, Coordinator Candidates

Episode Date: January 20, 2026

The Tennessee Titans have hired former 49ers DC Robert Saleh as their new head coach! We react to the news and debate potential offensive coordinator fits to round out his new staff and develop QB Cam... Ward.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!TurboTaxFor a limited time, you can have your taxes done by a local TurboTax expert for just $150 — all in, if a TurboTax expert didn’t file for you last year. Just file by February 28. Visit http://TurboTax.com/local to book your appointment today. DripDropRight now, DripDrop is offering podcast listeners 20% off your first order. Go to http://dripdrop.com and use promo code lockedonnfl.Ultimate QBUltimate QB is totally free to play, has no ads, and works 100% offline — perfect for when you want to sneak in a quick game or two on the go. Just head over to http://ULTIMATE-QB.COM.FanDuelToday's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. FanDuel is officially in Playoff Mode. Every game day during the NFL playoffs, FanDuel is giving customers even more ways to get in on the action. Visit Fanduel.com to get started.PrizePicksDownload the PrizePicks app today and use codeLOCKEDONNFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup.Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFLGametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFLfor $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.RobinhoodTrade Every Play with Robinhood. Now available across the U.S. Download the Robinhood app now to begin.Futures and cleared swaps trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Event contracts are offered by Robinhood Derivatives, LLC., a registered futures commission merchant and swap firmIndeedListeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/lockedonnfl.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 I'm Julian Minnensohn. The Titans got their guy. His name is Robert Sala. I'm Tyler Rowland, and I love the hire, but he needs to make sure he gets a good offensive coordinator. Titan up. It's the Titans squad. Everything Tennessee Titans every week.
Starting point is 00:00:17 Covering all the big hits and game-changing plays from the heart of Music City, the way only the locked-on podcast network can. Squad up. The Titan Squad Show starts now. And welcome to the Titans Squad Show. As you heard right off the top, I'm Julian Minneson. That's Tyler Rowland. Big day in the news world when it comes to the Tennessee Titans as they have found their next head coach.
Starting point is 00:00:43 Former 49ers defensive coordinator, Robert Sala, is the guy to lead the Titans in 2026 and hopefully beyond for Titans fans' sake. We're hoping to get Brad Hopkins here in a little bit and hoping he can join the show with us to get his take. But I'm going to pass it right over to you, Tyler. what's your reaction to hearing the news that came out late last night on Monday night as we record this on a Tuesday? Yeah, the Titans did me dirty, man. Let me fall asleep.
Starting point is 00:01:10 15 minutes later, they're higher in the head coach. But listen, I think this is the absolute best the Tennessee Titans could have done in this situation. Obviously, you know, some other candidates the Titans were interested in came off the board. But at the end of the day, Titans fans need to realize it was Robert Salah or it was Matt Nagy. So if you're upset about Robert Sala being hired, that de facto means that you wanted Matt Nagy.
Starting point is 00:01:35 And I'm sorry, but I just think that's absolutely ludicrous. So I know that the process wasn't completely smooth. There was back and forth here and there. Sala may not be a home run hire like maybe some other options people thought could have been. But it's a very good hire. It's a very smart hire. And I'm glad the Titans did the right thing. You know, when I think about Robert Sala and his style,
Starting point is 00:01:59 right defensive minded leader culture when we think of what mike borgonzi titans general manager has talked about the last couple of times we've talked to him he said i don't care about offensive coach or defensive coach i want the best leader and culture builder for this team and who is the guy that mike borgonzi talked about being the leader and catalyst of that jeff simmons the team's best player so you lean into a hire robert saula defensive minded that Jeff Simmons has already gone on record here on Twitter and Instagram saying that he really likes, and you are going to lean into the heart and soul and identity of this Titans team, and that's Jeffrey Simmons.
Starting point is 00:02:38 So I like it from that perspective. I know a couple other Titans have already come out and say what they've liked about him. Are you surprised, Tyler, that they've gone defensive here even? I know we talk about leader, but are you surprised they didn't maybe lean towards maybe an offensive guy because of Cam Ward being such a big asset for this team? No, I think it was so critical. I just don't think that the casual fan or even, you know, die medium is what I'll call it. Not die hard, not die easy, but a die medium fan.
Starting point is 00:03:10 I just think that there's such a big swath of people in the fan base who don't realize how poorly the leadership was in the locker room the last couple of years. I mean, Brian Callahan made it very well known before the season that they needed to focus on leadership. They did all the games and the rock paper scissors and the tug of war and all that stuff trying to develop tennis. Yeah, and trying to create leadership. And I think one of the realities is the leadership vacuum was because Brian Callahan wasn't a very good leader. It's just not his personality to lead a locker room of men like that. And with Rancourt on being rumored to maybe not be the hardest worker, probably not a guy who's set in a good culture either.
Starting point is 00:03:50 And the Titans were just so desperate. And Mike Borganzi came in and he said, why are we allowing all of these things to happen? Like, oh my God, like we need somebody in the room now. So I'm not surprised whatsoever that they really valued the leadership over everything else. And quite honestly, I don't think it was a very good hiring cycle for offensive coaches. There was no Ben Johnson.
Starting point is 00:04:11 You know what I mean? There is no Sean McVeigh out there. Like the good offensive coaches were Mike McDaniel, not really known for his leadership, Cliff Kingsbury, certainly not known for his leadership, Mike McCarthy, who may have been a better leader than those guys, obviously, but Mike McCarthy is 62 years old,
Starting point is 00:04:30 and we heard early in the process reports that the Tennessee Titans wanted to go with youth. So I think when you look at having a guy who's young enough to grow with the team, but also be a strong leader, it was hard to find a guy on the offensive side of the ball who fit that characteristic. So I think with the candidates,
Starting point is 00:04:46 available, Sala absolutely checks the box of leadership first and foremost. And that's exactly what the Tennessee Titans were looking for because at the end of the day, as we've seen around the NFL, you can be an offensive genius. But if you can't command the room, it doesn't really matter. No, it doesn't. And when you think about a lot of the reports coming out right now of Sala, this was his first choice. And given how the Titans were kind of duped by a number of different candidates that
Starting point is 00:05:16 were on their radar and kind of used as leverage in a way. I think that goes a long way when it comes to hiring the guy that wants to be here. I also think when you hire a coach, Tyler, you want there to be some sort of hope, some sort of excitement. You know what I mean? And at least from the fan basis perspective, hiring Matt Nagy, even if he does have a better record as a head coach, wasn't going to necessarily do that. And I think to the controlling owner, Amy Adams-strung, perception and optics do matter.
Starting point is 00:05:49 And whether that had a hand in this or not, I do think hiring Sala at least one over the fan base a little bit more than Matt and Aggie would have. That's for sure. Oh, 100%. And think about the reality here, Julian. I mean, the Titans are, you know, Nashville's growing like a weed. There's no doubt about it. It's one of the quickest growing cities in the country, especially. on the east side of the Mississippi.
Starting point is 00:06:15 It's number one. But at the same time, this Titans fan base is not like die hard entrenched. They're going to show up no matter what. Like the Cleveland Browns can be terrible for three straight decades and they're going to sell out
Starting point is 00:06:29 and have their fan, all Cleveland Browns fans. It's just different in Nashville. It's just not the same as it is other places. So the perception, the excitement of the fan base, that stuff actually does matter
Starting point is 00:06:41 to the bottom line, the dollars. It actually does matter. I don't know if you saw the trend. I'm sure you did, Julian, but the NFL was on an upward trajectory for attendance this year. And the Titans dropping 10% in attendance literally, single-handedly ruin the trend of the NFL going up in attendance
Starting point is 00:06:59 because the Titans were so bad. And when you add in the context of, not only was the attendance terrible, but most of the people who came were fans of other teams. Like the Titans didn't have a single home game this year. Every game felt like a road game because the majority of the fans, We're fans of other teams. I'm sorry, but that matters. It matters a lot and I think that the Titans are more sensitive to that
Starting point is 00:07:23 Does that make them more susceptible to mistakes? I think that's absolutely certain and absolutely true But you can't fault a business owner for being like hey, alright, we got the number one quarterback That should buoy attendance immediately and it went the other way. So if you think I're hiring Matt Nagy and I get so frustrated by the reductive reasoning in how Matt Nagy and Robert Sala are discussed. It's just Matt Nagy, 34 and 31, he's better. Well, Bill Belichick had a losing record in his first stint as a head coach
Starting point is 00:07:53 when he was in Cleveland. Would you hire Matt Nagy over Bill Belichick? Hey, Matt Nagy had a winning record. Bill Belichick didn't, right? So he has to be, you know, it's just so silly to think that way to not add context. And quite frankly, it's easier to argue online
Starting point is 00:08:08 when you don't have to research and you don't have to add context and you don't have to have nuanced thought. It's easier to just say 34 and 31. I'm going to go tell other people they're dumb. 34 and 31, 34. It's easier to do that like a caveman than it is to actually sit down and think about the scenario
Starting point is 00:08:23 that played out with Robert Sala in the Jets and why things went wrong with the new. And worth noting, the Jets are 6 and 23 since Robert Sala left. So it's not like things got immediately better there either. Correct. Just for context here, Matt and Aggie, We're talking about him being 34 and 31 overall as a head coach with the Chicago Bears.
Starting point is 00:08:43 Robert Sala was 20 and 36, but as Tyler just said, a lot of tumultuous times. I mean, he had Zach Wilson as his quarterback. It's the Jets. Yeah, it's also the Jets. I mean, it's been tough sledding for anybody to turn that thing around over there. But I think of this when I think of Robert Sala, right, the idea of getting the most out of your team. We talked about Brian Callahan. This team this year was getting progressively worse under him.
Starting point is 00:09:07 And that's crazy to say in a guy. his second year at the helm. When they started playing competent football, they started to be more competitive and you kind of saw what was there and what you can work with with the Titans. With Robert Sala, for example, that 49ers team had no business getting to the divisional round with as many injuries as they've had and issues throughout the season. Defensively, that team, I saw it in that game against Philadelphia in the wild card round. That is a team where Robert Sala got the most out of that side of the ball, right? I remember him being the first running out in the field, high-fiving his dudes, being in the locker room, meeting them at the
Starting point is 00:09:43 tunnel, high-fiving them, cheering them on. That's a leader, right? And to get the most out of a team that maybe had no business being there to begin with, in one of the toughest divisions of football, no less, given how injury-prone they were, I think that is a sign of hope that maybe he has learned from his first time in New York, needed to step back a little bit, go back to a winning organization and then now he's more primed for his second go-around in Tennessee with a very young team. Julian, we're adults. We've had different jobs. Are you better on your 100th day at the job or your first day at the job? It's just a reality that people improve. People get better. Does that mean that he's going to improve enough to take the Titans to a Super Bowl? No, you can't know that.
Starting point is 00:10:28 But to act like, you know, who you were in your first thing is exactly who you are going forward because, you know, so and so before you did that. It's like saying, you know, this guy can't be a good quarterback because nobody from that school has been a good quarterback before. Like, you know, people said that about Oregon and Justin Herbert. Well, Justin Herbert is a pretty good quarterback coming out of Oregon. And I think, you know, we're talking about leadership. How's it going, Brad?
Starting point is 00:10:51 Nice to have you in here. And we avoided Matt Nagy. We're all pretty excited. But, you know, you talk about the leadership, but it's not just the leadership that Robert Sala displays. He is a defensive mastermind. He truly is one of the elite defensive minds in the NFL. And I think these numbers that I have here kind of show both of it.
Starting point is 00:11:10 The leadership and the defensive mastermind. In the last nine years that Robert Sala has been in control of a defense, whether it was with the Jets or the 49ers, five of those years, he was top five in total defense. In past defense, five out of those nine years, top five past defense, and he was 11th one of those years, which is still really, really good. You don't have that happen. unless you understand scheme
Starting point is 00:11:34 unless you can outsmart other coaches and when you talk about the injuries that they had in San Francisco and with some of the lack of talent that they had at the time with the New York Jets I talked to some people in the media in New York who covered Robert Sala over the past couple of days
Starting point is 00:11:49 and they said one of the things that you cannot deny is Robert Sala will get the absolute best out of the 90th man, the 69th man, the 57th man, the 48th man like he gets the absolute best out of every guy on the roster, whatever is available there. And quite frankly, again, I think that points to leadership and it points to the schematic aspect of it as well.
Starting point is 00:12:09 So you get a guy who's a mastermind on his side of the ball and a guy who is a known leader who players will literally run through a brick wall for. Listen to Pete Warner, talk about Robert Sala and how he lifted it up. Pete Warner wasn't some stud coming out of college. He was a day three draft pick that turned into an all-pro linebacker and he credits Robert Sala for doing that.
Starting point is 00:12:29 So I just think all of these things we're talking about point to the two things that matter most. His brilliance on the side of the ball scheme-wise, which is important, and his leadership, and what else could the Tennessee Titans have wanted? Were he bringing a former two-time pro bowler, all pro-left tackle, Bhop, the legend. Brad, your initial reaction to hearing Robert Sala hired as the next Titans head coach. Thank God it, it ain't Matt Nagy. Yeah, the naggy nightmare is over. There was two different
Starting point is 00:13:01 Julian Tyler, there was two different directions. This search was going to go. Either we were going to find someone that was a perfect fit, understood the culture, or at least creating it, using the assets to create weapons,
Starting point is 00:13:15 that kind of stuff, or we were going to look like a dysfunctional franchise that couldn't get our head out of our butt by hiring yet another dud. That's where the crossroads were, right? And for me, if it wasn't going to be John Harbaugh, they knocked it out of the park. To win championships, you really have to have a nasty, feared defense. Okay.
Starting point is 00:13:43 This team has the talent to have that identity. They just needed the direction and the embodiment of what that looks like. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is Robert Salah. That dude, he speaks to men. You know, not only does he look like an extra from 300. The guy is, I mean, he carries that kind of intensity that you want to have as a football player to be led into battle. I mean, we use that as a euphemism, right? Battle, but, you know, from a non-dying perspective, this is a flipping fist fight for 60 minutes,
Starting point is 00:14:21 especially where it matters. And if you don't have a stout, regimented, disciplined defense, nothing else works because it's just going to be basketball games running around up and down the field. You know what I'm saying? So at the end of the day, he does have to hire out the offensive side of the football,
Starting point is 00:14:39 which can be difficult. But if you're a guy like Mike Vrable, who with Josh McDaniel, creates a symmetry that both sides of the football are balanced and contributing, right? Then you can do that. So it'll be interesting to see who Robert wants as a offensive coordinator, someone to help develop Cam, about to say Cam Newton.
Starting point is 00:15:06 Because that's where we are right now. We still have to continue to affect that side of the football because it is a lot of youth, a lot of potential, but a lot of youth. I think the veterans and the leadership led by Robert Salo will come from the defensive side of the football initially until Cam feels confident enough to not only just speak those things that he speaks so eloquently, but is those things that he speaks so eloquently. And, Brad, I think you make a great point there about the defense, especially with what's happened schematically this year in the NFL, where we're seeing the two high safeties,
Starting point is 00:15:43 and we're seeing teams go with heavy, tight end packages to try to be able to run the ball. The pendulum has swung from the high scoring, 54, 51, Rams, Chiefs type NFL where you got to outscore everybody. The pendulum has swung because the NFL is cyclical. You know, the defensive guys, realize what the offensive guys are doing, and then the offensive guys got to figure out
Starting point is 00:16:05 the defensive guys again, and it goes back and forth. Defense is more important than ever, and we're seeing, look at Mike McDonald with the Seattle Seahawks. Look at Mike Vrable right now with the New England Patriots. Like, defense is more important than ever in today's NFL with the way defenses are being played and how they're limiting explosive plays on the offense.
Starting point is 00:16:22 We're not seeing, scoring was a little bit down for previous years. It's kind of settled a little bit. I think you're spot on with what the schematic trends in the NFL are. Having a dominant defense right now is more important than ever. We're going back to before that offensive boom of the late 20 teams, more to where, hey, your defense, look at Houston and how great they were this year. And Jacksonville had an incredible defense.
Starting point is 00:16:45 Like a lot of the best teams in the NFL were defense. Look at Denver, you know. A lot of the best teams in the NFL were less. by great defenses. So I think this is perfect timing for the Tennessee Titans to swing back the other way and go to the defensive side of the ball, even if, as we'll discuss later in the show, the offensive coordinator is still very, very important. Yeah, and we'll talk about potential offensive coordinator hires who we like and who we want to stay away from. I did want to get B-Hop's thoughts on another thing, and we'll talk about that right after the break here on the Titan squad
Starting point is 00:17:17 show. So keep it here as the Titans have found their man, Robert Sala. Stay with us. All right. If you've ever hired someone who looked good on paper, then wasn't the right fit, you know how important that is. And I'm pretty sure the Tennessee Titans know how important that is, too. When you want candidates who truly match what you're looking for, trust Indeed, sponsored jobs. Hiring, well, indeed is all you need. Stop struggling to get your job post seen on other sites. Indeed, sponsored jobs, puts your post at the top of the page and helps you reach the right candidates faster. Now, instead of struggling to get your job post seen and need sponsored jobs, helps your listing stand out and reach quality candidates faster. spend more time interviewing candidates who check all your boxes with less stress, less time,
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Starting point is 00:19:05 Download the Robin Hood app now to begin. Futures and cleared swaps trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Event contracts are offered by Robin Hood derivatives LLC, a registered futures commission merchant and swap. All right, Bhop, I wanted to get your take on something because we talked about it just before you hopped on. Are you surprised that the Titans went more of a defensive route than offensive route?
Starting point is 00:19:35 And I only say this because, of course, the biggest asset that the Titans have is Cameron Ward, their quarterback. He is going to determine success for this Titans team. However, they leaned into the identity that is Jeffrey Simmons, you know, a tough, hard-nosed guy. And they went defensive-minded. What do you think about that? Well, they're just repeating history. What was Jeff Fisher? defensive coach.
Starting point is 00:20:05 That was his side of the football. He just found some relatable guys in the offensive side of the football to take care of his third round, his third pick of the draft, Steve McNair. Took a couple of season before he found the field, but yet and still the development was not in the hands of the head coach. It was in the hands of someone that he hired to develop them. A good thing he had cast cast of characters, they had consistency. Steve was just a leader amongst men just by action. necessarily the most vocal kind of guy. But at the end of the day, he had the right pieces,
Starting point is 00:20:38 and you found the right coaches to coach those pieces. Kind of seems familiar, you know? So there are very few of us that are walking around that remember exactly what that felt like. I happen to be one of them. And it seems pretty familiar to me, especially when we went from Jack Pardee, when I was a rookie who was coaching the Oilers at the time.
Starting point is 00:21:01 He gets fired in my, second season they give Jeff Fisher the interim, who would later be that come the head coach for the next, I don't know, how many every years he was here, right? Because they found the right fit. They found the guy that created the culture. Robert Sala and Jeff Fisher are completely different people, so I can't guarantee you the type of success, but it does seem familiar just in that, from that side of the football is where we spoke the loudest. because we had one of the scariest defenses in the national football league, and everybody knew it.
Starting point is 00:21:40 And so we can kind of corral that fledgling personality that this defense is starting to get, right? They're starting to be more known as getting to the quarterback, you know, run stuffers, that kind of stuff, right? And then the offense feeds off of that with consistency in using its ability to score points. So it just seems familiar for them to go to a personality on that side of the football because that's where the gritty, aggressive win at the line of scrimmage type tone gets set with a guy like that. Tyler, do you want to chime in? That's just what works here.
Starting point is 00:22:19 Brad's right. I mean, let's call it what it is. Anything that's ever worked here has been a defensive coach or an offensive lineman. It's never these high and fly offensive-minded guys. like that's just, it's just never worked here. You know what I mean? So Titans are going back to their roots. And, you know, it's like a snuggy, man.
Starting point is 00:22:39 You just get in it and you feel comfortable and nice and warm, you know. So it feels good to have a big physical presence back on the sideline. Yeah, it was a joke. But you guys remember when you're at the school table with your friends, you say, my dad could beat up your dad. My brother could beat up your brother. Well, guess what? My head coach can beat up your head coach.
Starting point is 00:22:57 And that still matters. Unless you're Dan Campbell. That would be quite the battle. You know what I'm excited to see, fellas? I don't know if you've seen. Tyler, you probably have the Bhop. Have you seen after the Jags Niners game, the viral clip of Robert Sala going after Liam Cohen
Starting point is 00:23:13 and then exchanging words back and forth? Now we're going to get that twice a year. So he already has some hatred for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Screw the Jaguars. We got our own Ben Johnson and Matlafloor. Yes, we got our own feud, baby. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, let's go.
Starting point is 00:23:31 If you put all the AFC South coaches in like a royal rumble, I'm pretty sure the Titans new head coach will come out victorious. Hey, DeMico Ryan's ain't no chump, though. That's a former NFL linebacker there. That would be quite the battle, but Liam Cohen and Shane Steichen would be running for the hills. He goes little. D'Mico is little.
Starting point is 00:23:51 Hey, don't hate on the little guy, Brad. Don't hate on the little guy. Who would you take? Dan Campbell or Aaron Glenn? Yeah, yeah. Dan Campbell, all right. Fair enough. Now, the only one I was, look, big Andy would be, he'd be a hard out.
Starting point is 00:24:08 Because he's older, that's a solid, that's a big dude right there, you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But I put my money on Dan Campbell. If there's a battle royal for 32 head coaches, I think that guy right there, he's going to end up. Oh, you know what, what do you think about Braves? How would Braves match me? That would be up there too. But, hey, at least our coach can be in the conversation.
Starting point is 00:24:30 he's got a shot up there that's what matters. Indeed. Like B. Hobbs said, like an extra from 300. Let me ask you guys this, because you always wonder how a head coach is going to impact particularly young players. Like we know what Jeff Simmons can do. And it's exciting to have a new defensive head coach with who has a pedigree of really good defenses on a year where Jeff Simmons is coming off a career best 11, 11 sacks. Right. But you think about somebody like Cedric Gray, for example, top five in the NFL and tackles.
Starting point is 00:24:59 somebody like Kevin Winston, who showed flashes last year, but once he gets healthy, maybe we could see what he can actually do with that first round talent potential that everybody talks about. What do you think that the sky is the limit or what do you think is the steps from one year to the next when it comes to hiring somebody like Robert Sala, who has pelts on the wall at least with defensive success?
Starting point is 00:25:21 Oh, I think they can be an elite defense. I mean, look at what Robert Sala was able to do with like a guy like Huffanga, who plays in Denver now. Think about what Robert Sala was able to do, like you said, with a Fred Warner, a Dre Greenlaw, and what these guys have become. And think about, you know, a Nick Bosa.
Starting point is 00:25:39 I know he can't stay healthy, but he's a great player. Like, he is a defensive line, linebacker specialist. And when you have safeties that also has some linebacker traits, he uses them in excellent ways. So this is just, if you're on the defense, you're a young player on the defense for the Tennessee Titans. You are in love. And Jeffrey Simmons,
Starting point is 00:25:57 Robert Sala loves that wide-nine-line scheme. He's got his defensive ends really wide. Well, when the defensive ends are really wide, that's going to widen out the offensive line, which sets up better matchups on the interior for the best interior defensive linemen in the freaking world. So from a defensive standpoint, like the arrow is just skyrocketing up right now. I couldn't be more excited for what he can...
Starting point is 00:26:22 And think if they get a Rubin Bain out of Miami added to this defensive line. Think if they take... Is there a guy out there who they could have hired who would have given you more hope that he could take linebacker Arvel Reese from Ohio State and fully transition him to Edge? Think about Femiola Dejio, a former linebacker who's an edge? Who do you think has a better chance
Starting point is 00:26:40 of turning these guys into legit pass rushers in the NFL than Robert Sala? Like, it's just perfect from a defensive standpoint. Yeah, and make the adjustments in coverage once they take full advantage of the pass rush. Now you've got the balance because you've already got guys that play sideline to sideline at the linebacker level. If you've got consistent pressure up front, the ball is going to come out quicker.
Starting point is 00:27:04 Just be where you're supposed to be. If you're in zone, you know, be where you're supposed to be, quarter quarter halves, whatever. If you're a man, follow your technique, you know, be students of the game. We understand exactly what your responsibilities are. And that's what Robert Salawa will hold them accountable to be. You know what I mean? So just those little bits of discipline that, you know, obviously every team needs. but this team could definitely need.
Starting point is 00:27:30 That's what Robert Sala, I think, specializes in. Yeah, and I just want to say, Julian, I see the little crybaby in the chat right now, not even a Titans fan, just in here coping, mad that their little run is over. The Titans don't have a Fred Werner. Let me introduce you to Cedric Gray, 160 tackles, athleticism to be able to be good in coverage,
Starting point is 00:27:49 was a day three pick in the fourth round. Let me tell you what, the Titans do have a Fred Warner. His name's Cedric Gray, and he's coming for your spot. So get ready, NFL. Here he comes. And just for context, Fred Warner is a big fan of Robert Sala, obviously. He called him one of the best coaches he's ever had and told reporters this week that it would, quote, suck a lot if they were to lose him
Starting point is 00:28:14 to another job. And they indeed have. And that's a good sign, right? Like, think about the juxtaposition of the two people that the Tennessee Titans were looking at. Matt Nagy didn't have his contract renewed by the Kansas. Kansas City Chiefs, they couldn't wait to kick him to the curb and get Eric B. Enemy back because their offense was way better when Eric B. enemy was the offensive coordinator
Starting point is 00:28:34 and when Matt Nagy was in Chicago. They couldn't wait to get rid of Nagy. He's unemployed right now. Instead, the Titans are getting a guy whose San Francisco 49ers fans are angry that they lost out on him. I'm sorry, I know that that is somewhat of a reductive way of looking at things, but a guy that people are sad to lose versus a guy people couldn't wait to get rid of, that has to mean something. Yeah, that's certainly a co-signed from one of the best players in the league indeed. Bihop, did you have another thought on that before we hit the break? No, because it probably falls in the purview of taking questions from...
Starting point is 00:29:10 Sure. Because it was a response I wanted to have, but I don't think it's at this time that we need to talk about. Well, that's actually very pertinent to our current discussion, but then we did just go ahead and turn to the right column and just start doing that, you know what I mean? We are going to turn to potential offensive coordinator candidates, what you want to see out of an offensive coordinator because it makes this higher for the OC that much more important when you have a defensive head coach.
Starting point is 00:29:34 So we'll talk about it next on the Titan Squad show. Keep it here. All right, kicking off the year, feeling good is the goal, right? And honestly, hydration is the easiest win. When I stay on top of it, my energy, focus, and mood all level up. But let's be real. Plain water doesn't always cut it, especially when you're grinding through long days,
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Starting point is 00:30:56 The hot topic right now, if you look on Titans' Twitter, is pairing Robert Sala with Mike McDaniel. They have a good working relationship together. McDaniel interviewed with the Titans for the head coaching position this past week, and we know what his offenses can do. Is that your guys' dream team if you guys had your choice, and he was willing to come here as well? I mean, absolutely.
Starting point is 00:31:20 How could you do better than one of the smartest offensive minds in the NFL? The problem with Mike McDaniel is, I didn't think that he could lead an organization. I didn't think he was a leader of men in the way that the Titans needed. Maybe he's not totally incapable, but the Titans needed a serious shaking when it came to leadership. So Mike McDaniel, I don't think would have been good enough to do that. But from an offensive standpoint, this is one of the most creative, brilliant, offensive-minded guys on the entire planet. And it'll probably just be a halfway house for him.
Starting point is 00:31:51 It's a way station. He's going to get another head coaching opportunity. He may get it now. Like he may get hired by the Raiders. He may, you know, get hired by the Cardinals or something like that. Like he might get a head coaching job. And there are better offensive coordinator jobs out there like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Los Angeles Chargers.
Starting point is 00:32:07 So it's no guarantee that Mike McDaniel is going to come to Tennessee. But Mike McDaniel and Robert Sala are best friends. They have a very close relationship. And I think that that could be something that sways him that way. And quite frankly, what makes you look better? taking over a team that's already good and keeping them good or taking over a trash offense that's been terrible for years and turning it into a good one.
Starting point is 00:32:31 That might be more, and especially if you're going to get hired by a young team that's trying to rebuild and build things back up, proving that you built the Titans offense back up might be perfect as an audition for his next head coaching job. So I'm not convinced that Mike McDaniel will be with the Tennessee Titans even though reports indicate that Sala is... Of course, Robert Sala is interested in high. and his genius best friend to come work with him.
Starting point is 00:32:55 Of course, why wouldn't he be? I'm not convinced that Mike McDaniel actually would do that. Why would he do that? But it's still possible. And as long as it's possible, I'm going to hold on to hope that we get that dynamic duo. I think that he would view this as a perfect opportunity for him because there's not going to be a whole bunch of transition after Robert Salah takes the job.
Starting point is 00:33:20 I think Robert's going to be here for a while. That's my gut instinct. deal. You got five years. Exactly. And with that being said, I think that he sees some stability. To be able to do what he does best, which is call plays, which is develop talent. When I saw this dude on YouTube running routes and stuff, you know, when he was, you know, back when he was playing days, that M&F is a beast, dude. You know what I'm saying? So with that kind of approach with that kind of attitude and that kind of savvy and intelligence that he has plus ability come on man he's going to make these offensive components so freakishly nasty and he'll be in his
Starting point is 00:34:03 vertical that makes him the most comfortable sometimes my opinion i thought he was just too smart for the media because they were so unique him with a dumb you know almost sophomore questions that they're asking just he just above it in his response like you know i have to do this because it's part of my job requirement, but I'm going to play with you a little bit in doing it. I'm going to speak so far above your head that it just, you know, like just, that kind of stuff, let him get back into working with Cam Ward and Ellick I.U. Manor and Gunner Helm. Let him get back into developing Van Jefferson. Let him get back into coming up with the schematics, being the Sean McVeigh type that we know he has in that mad genius. He does seem like a guy who likes tinkering in the lab,
Starting point is 00:34:46 you know what I'm seeing, just coming up with stuff, right? But they don't mean he's building the damn lab. You see what I'm saying? He's working within it. So let him do what he's qualified most to do, which is affect the offense. And he didn't have to worry about all the rigumor run that Robert Salah had to deal with. I'm, I lied, Julian. I'm going to say it anyway, what I was going to say before. Go for it. Yeah, do it. People keep looking back at the stint in New York, right? Right. He would still be in New York if Aaron Wright, if put it this way, had the Jets had a better offensive line, he would still be in New York. And the reason why I say that is because
Starting point is 00:35:24 Aaron Rogers went there and got the absolute piss beat out of him. It's an entire season from the very first because of protection, right? And that's where you saw the struggles, okay? Robert Salah's only problem was that he put all the chips in the middle of the table
Starting point is 00:35:40 investing in Aaron. Let Aaron bring in Nathaniel Hackett in letting Aaron dictate the pace and whatever else. Essentially, he found his offensive coordinator. He just happened to be playing the damn game wearing number 12. You see what I'm saying? That was his offensive coordinator. And when that didn't go right, he had to, he had, he had, he was to blame for that. Because had he, like, maybe he had a Cam Ward type or a first pick of the draft or some hire that he
Starting point is 00:36:06 develops or whatever else that didn't have the autonomy that Aaron Rogers had. It's giddy. Put this way, Aaron, Robert Salah was no less giddy than Mike Tomlin was when he had the opportunity to work with Aaron Rogers. You see what I'm saying? so it just didn't work out for him in New York. That's why he went back to San Francisco and was super successful, you know, running that defense and helping them get into the playoffs.
Starting point is 00:36:31 Like he, what I've always done. So just got to find that right guy on the opposite side of football, one that you know is going to do right by, you know, by the team itself. Two words, Woody Johnson. Woody Johnson, the owner that people think Amy Adam Strunk is a meddling owner. Woody Johnson is literally telling his head coach, you are going to hire this offensive coordinator.
Starting point is 00:36:54 We are trading for this player. Like, that is real meddling ownership. So I'm with you. You could blame Robert Sala. I don't think that if we go back and let Robert Sala actually pick things that I'm not certain he would trade for Aaron Rogers. I'm certain he would not have hired Nathaniel Hackett and kept hacking around for as long as he did.
Starting point is 00:37:15 Those were owner-mandated things that happened to him in New York that had been reported on ad nauseum at this point. So if you want to just use Robert Solis, New York Jets' experience against him, I would tell you, Bill Belichick had a losing record when he was the coach of Cleveland. He sucked.
Starting point is 00:37:31 The Patriot shouldn't have hired him. He had a losing record with the Cleveland Browns, so he can't be a good coach ever again, right? Because what that's, it's just, it's flawed logic. And as I said to Julian earlier, Brad, it's just low-hanging fruit for people who are uneducated and don't want to get educated or look at anything to just be able to, oh, there's a record.
Starting point is 00:37:49 I'm going to use that to justify my point and a story. It's just simple-minded argument stuff. You know, as much as fans would want an offensive head coach because, oh, we need to develop Cam Ward. This may give Cam Ward a little bit more of a personal connection because you have a guy who is just going to focus on Cam and the offense and that only. Brian Callahan was pulled in so many different directions
Starting point is 00:38:13 that he was weighing over his head too. I mean, he was a play caller at heart. a schemer, but didn't really put that into practice because he was pulled in so many different directions of just game management, which he had issues with, not knowing the rules, which was another issue. So if you have Robert Sala as the leader of this team and you hire a great offensive mind, maybe a Mike McDaniel, then they'll have a personal connection because they can put all of their focus in on Cam Moore. And Mike McDaniel might get a job, right? He might get one this cycle and that would put these hopes to bed. However, if you're Mike McDaniel,
Starting point is 00:38:49 this would be your second opportunity as a head coach. Do you want to waste that going to the Cleveland Browns? Do you want to waste that going to Arizona? I don't think so because if you get fired, no one wants to go to Arizona. Right. If you get fired, you're probably not getting a third chance. Correct. So it might even behoove him to like you guys mentioned, get a young up and coming team, prove that he can make something out of them, and then he gets the big hire as well. And, you know, I know a lot of fans would be also like, oh, well, I don't want my offensive coordinator poach necessarily. But if they're not getting poached, it means they weren't good, you know.
Starting point is 00:39:26 And so that's kind of where I stand on the Mike McDaniel, offensive versus defensive coach kind of thing when it comes to fans worried about that when it comes to Cam Ward. Well, two things. One, I wanted to make mention the fact that I guarantee you, with Cam having been, in at the U and Mike and McDaniel being the head coach of the Dolphins, their paths probably crossed a number of times. He watched him. Exactly.
Starting point is 00:39:52 I mean, if even probably had personal conversation, like, oh, watching your play. You're a great young player, whatever, you know. Glad to see you at the, you know, the American blood drive here, you know, because they're doing things in the community, whatever, right? You know what I'm saying? It's probably a relationship. The point I'm trying to make is there's probably already a relationship that's been established there.
Starting point is 00:40:10 And two, when Mike very very, very. was fired from the Titans. He stepped away from the pro game for at least a year. Yes. Went up and tinkered around at Ohio State, got inducted to the Hall of Fame, blah, blah, blah. What he had a chance to do was this. Just get his neck right.
Starting point is 00:40:28 Get cleared up a little bit. Then he went back to work. You see what I'm saying? So this isn't an immediate situation where Mike McDaniel says, I need another head coaching job. I need to just jump back into a circle again. He's probably like, let me take a breath here real quick.
Starting point is 00:40:43 Let me stay in the football. Let me keep my creative juices flowing by creating offense by showing exactly why I'm still revered as one of the better offensive minds in today's NFL. And then if it suits me, you know, if we've won the damn Super Bowl and I'm off offensive coordinator and I'm making millions of millions of dollars, then why would I need to make that change? You know what I mean? So, I mean, at least any time soon. So come to Nashville, Mike. If you've got to leave South Beach, this is probably the next best place. It's a great quality of life.
Starting point is 00:41:13 You know, it's still easy enough to get around. We're a small, big city. You'd love it here. You get to work with your buddy, too. And you get to work with your best friend. Yeah. Yeah. I think that Mike McDaniel isn't the only good hire that's available, too.
Starting point is 00:41:28 Like, you know, we'll probably get a list eventually. But he did work with Mike LaFleur during his first couple of years with the New York Jets. I know that didn't go well and they eventually moved on. But like we mentioned earlier, they moved on and went to Nathaniel Hackett, because that's Aaron Rogers guy. And Mike Lafleur is a guy who is the offensive coordinator for the Rams. He would get an opportunity to call plays, and maybe Sean McVeigh would let him go.
Starting point is 00:41:51 I think Clay Kubiak is the current offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. Now, Kyle Shanahan has said, why would I let someone steal him away? You're going to have to hire him as a head coach if you want to take him away from me. So I don't think that Kubiak will be an option. But, I mean, maybe Kyle Shanahan will change his mind since it's Robert Sala taking him away and not just some other random coach.
Starting point is 00:42:12 Bobby Sloick, Bobby Sloick sure did make C.J. Stroud look good. You don't look good anymore, right? So Bobby Sloick is available and could make a lot of sense for a young quarterback in Cam Ward. Adam Stenevich is a guy that could make some sense. He's with Green Bay. He's gotten some options. Brian Daible is still out there as well. I think that would be a great fit,
Starting point is 00:42:31 although I think Daible ends up taking one of the more high-profile jobs like Tampa Bay or Philadelphia or the Chargers. but like there are a lot of good options out there. And I want to point this out. Connor or who I think Connor works for Monday morning quarterback Sports Illustrated. Now he used to work for NFL.com. But Connor Orr reported this morning already that one of the big sellers for Robert Sala was he had a very detailed and in-depth plan for offensive coordinator and his offensive coaching staff.
Starting point is 00:43:00 Like he had it all mapped out. He had multiple options, multiple answers. If this doesn't work, we go to this. If this guy isn't available, we go. here, this staff. So Robert Sala is acutely aware of how important getting the offensive coaching staff right is to him. And I think Cliff Kingsbury, if he doesn't get a head coaching job, which doesn't seem like that's going to happen. He doesn't even seem like an option.
Starting point is 00:43:22 Cliff Kingsbury ran the air raid system with Patrick Mahomes and Texas Tech. Cam Ward ran air raid at Miami, you know? So like, I just think there are a lot of really good, where there may not be very good offensive head coaches this year. I think there are a ton of really good offensive coordinator options, which should kind of lessen the concern with getting that part right for Robert Sala. Yeah, Robert, Robert basically, he's looking at his candidates, and he's walking them out to the field. He's putting his arm around them as they walk out to the field, right?
Starting point is 00:43:53 And he's saying, look here, you're going to determine whether I get fired or not. So what I'm going to do is we're going to have a great relationship. We're going to have a great understanding, and we're just going to, you know, we're going to do this thing, right? And he's going to add that conversation to determine whether or not he wants this dude to be a part of his unit or not. You know, because that's what he's tied to. We know how he can affect his side of the football. We know how he can actually be a coordinator and leader of men as a head coach.
Starting point is 00:44:21 But the side of the football that he needs the most help with is the offense, which happens to be a pretty pivotal position to hold, right? It's an offensive coordinator. So you got to get it right. He said, fool me once. Shame on you. Fool me twice? Uh-uh. You ain't doing that again.
Starting point is 00:44:38 I'm sure one of the questions, if not one of the first questions that the Titans asked Robert Saul in that interview is, what happened with the offense that first time around in New York and how do you plan to fix that and your offensive coordinator plan? And if he didn't have an answer, he probably wasn't going to be the guy. So that's certainly wait and see on that when it comes to that. Well, on the other side of the break, we have a ton of questions in the chat that we wanted to get to. We'll do our best to do that in our Titans talk segment.
Starting point is 00:45:04 Don't Go Anywhere where the Titan Squad show returns with myself, Tyler, and Bihop. All right, FanDuel is officially in playoff mode every game day during the NFL playoffs. FanDuel is giving customers even more ways to get in on the action. Because right now, every NFL playoff game day, fan duel users get a profit boost pack waiting for them inside the app. Each game day, you'll get a pack loaded with multiple profit boost boosts. You can apply to the bets you like the most. Open your profit boost pack. First thing on game day and see what boosts you want to apply.
Starting point is 00:45:37 You make your picks. apply your profit boost to go after even bigger payouts while the playoffs get rolling. So visit fendule.com and official sports book partner the NFL and grab your profit boost pack every NFL playoff game day. All right, guys. So I wanted to touch on something that somebody had earlier in our live chat. The fact that Robert Sala got hired as a, he's a defensive guy, does that maybe alter what the Titans do with that number four pick?
Starting point is 00:46:08 Does that make them lean into a defensive guy like a pass rusher like Rubin Bain, who we saw in the championship game here on Monday night, had a pretty good game Ruben Bain did, even though Miami lost, or maybe an Ravelle Reese. Do you think that maybe a direction the Titans could go and given a defensive first head coach in the draft? You know, Julian, you could go the other way with that
Starting point is 00:46:27 and say, Robert Sala gets the absolute best out of defensive players, so why not go on offense? You know what I mean? But I generally do agree that the Titans do need to take one of these defensive players. I like the depth at wide receiver in the day two, rounds, second and third rounds. And quite frankly, I think a guy like
Starting point is 00:46:45 Arvel Reese, Ruben Bain, David Bailey out of Texas Tech, I just think that they're better football players and more reliable players than the wide receiver group of Jordan Tyson, who has injury issues, or Carnell Tate, who I
Starting point is 00:47:02 think is more just a deep ball specialist and not really a guy with yak ability or short-to-intermediate route-running ability or, you know, Mackay Lemon from USC who's more of a smaller gadget type guy, slot type guy. I just think the defensive players are better players. So my answer to that is I would be more confident
Starting point is 00:47:22 that Sala could get the best out of one of those defensive guys, but I do not think that they should take the best football player. Whoever you have ranked highest on your board, take the best football player. Don't say, we're going to take the second best or third best player because we hired this guy as a head coach. I don't think that that's how that they should handle it. So the way I do the draft is you have to look at where you're picking and where the value is for a guy that you're willing to take at that spot, right?
Starting point is 00:47:49 Make sure it all matches up. So, and that's directly tied to what your most need is. So if I'm going to internally scout, I'm going to say protecting Cam Ward is probably the most important thing. This is not a newsflash. Free agent, linemen suck. Let me say that again. Free agent linemen suck because if you're worth the salt, you'll be under contract because linemen are a premium.
Starting point is 00:48:19 So if you've got a guy that's a free agent or if you got a guy that's available because somebody else is making him available, that's because he's not very good. So if you don't have the guys in place that can take young players and develop them, you've also got an issue. So I think that either if you look at the number four pick and you don't see a lineman, that's worthy of being taken at number four, then you've got to look at look somewhere else. You know what I mean?
Starting point is 00:48:46 You've got to look at maybe getting yourself a Will Anderson or Michael Parkinson, Michael Parsons, somebody like that. You know what I mean? Somebody that can affect the defense, and you know that the offense has to account for this cat in every step that's on the football field. So for me, it's winning the trenches, protecting your quarterback with quality alignment that you can develop,
Starting point is 00:49:08 meaning number four-esque type players, right, that you know people aren't going to look with any sort of hesitancy. Like, I can't believe you took that bum at number four. You know what I mean? If it makes sense, like if Will Campbell were taking at number four last year, people were like, oh, yeah, yeah, it's good bit. Because that makes sense, right? That kind of deal versus what the hell were they thinking?
Starting point is 00:49:30 It took alignment at number four in this draft? They're terrible. You know, so that's the point I'm trying to make. But like I said, on the other side of that is making it hard for great quarterbacks to do their job by having guys like I just mentioned. Because we already got the interior shorn up between sweat and Jeffrey, we're good. They're probably saying, hell, man. If a quarterback just can't simply go to his left or right and get away from me, if sure would be nice, because I'll eat up all these sacks of him trying to step up in the pocket because he's got nowhere to go to.
Starting point is 00:50:02 Because I've got this monster that looks like Will Anderson out there on the edge. edge. You know what I mean? So that's just my thoughts about the draft of coming with the number four pick. And let me just say, Arvel Reese out of Ohio State. He's a young player. People hate hearing this bit of a project, but he gets comparisons to Abdul Carter to Micah Parsons. He's an offball linebacker who's going to be a full-time edge rusher at the NFL level. And like I said earlier in the show, who could you trust more than Robert Sala to make sure that he turns into the player he looks like he could be. I think Arvel Reese would make a ton of sense. And Ruben, Nobody's going to be like, you picked Rubin Bain at number four.
Starting point is 00:50:39 No, Bain would be a great pick. So I think right now, my lean is one of those defensive linemen. Rubin Bain at eight tackles in the championship game against Indiana, two and a half tackles for loss and a sack. So he certainly made his presence known in his last college game before the draft gets started. MBJW9S put a question in the chatter, kind of a, I guess a rhetorical question when it came to Robert S and his time with the Jets and maybe not translating to his next time around as a head coach here with the Titans.
Starting point is 00:51:12 The Jets didn't get any better after he left. So maybe it wasn't Sala and the problem is actually New York. It wasn't. I'm telling you, New York is cursed, man. That's where good players go to die. I promise you. I mean, look at Tedie, look at Sam Darnold. This cat's one of the best quarterbacks in the game right now.
Starting point is 00:51:30 What the hell happened to him? Oh, he was drafted by the Jets. Gino Smith. What happened to him? He went to the same place and had the same kind of success as soon as he left New York. Same thing. I would expect Zach, what's Zach's? Wilson.
Starting point is 00:51:44 If Zach Wilson goes to another team, they'll probably go to the Super Bowl. See, you know what I'm saying? It's like New York can find out. Where on earth can both franchises that are in New York suck at the same time consistently? Only in New York. You know what I'm saying? That's just. Now, I want to be honest, though, Salah does need to improve in some areas.
Starting point is 00:52:10 He needs to make sure he gets the offense right with the coordinator, hire like we already talked about. He did have a tendency to be very conservative in his game management when he was in New York because he's so confident in his defense. He's like, we don't need to be over aggressive on offense. Let's just be conservative, and the defense will win the game. I'm hoping that going back to San Francisco has showed him that you do got to be a little more aggressive with your game management decisions.
Starting point is 00:52:33 but like, yeah, I think it's hard to separate the fact that he was out of franchise that outside of Rex Ryan one time in 2009, the Jets have been terrible my entire life. Yeah. Yeah. Julian, there was a question about Dynard Wilson in there. I just want to say, you don't have to click on it or anything. I'm just going to say this quickly. Dernard Wilson is a defensive play caller, guys.
Starting point is 00:52:58 He runs an entirely different schematic system than what Robert Sala does. DeNard Wilson will not be back. That, yeah, that's, that it doesn't. I'm not trying to be rude to Kevin or anything, but schematically speaking, it doesn't make sense. They run totally different defenses, and Robert Sala is going to call plays on defense. He's already said that.
Starting point is 00:53:18 So DeNard Wilson will not be back if you want somebody to bring, and I saw some people saying, you know, bring back Bo Hard degree. Guys, they're not bringing back anybody. Nick Holes, Bo Hard agree, Mike McCoy, like, you can't be fooled by the Titans going from absolute garbage to a little bit better than absolute garbage and think that that makes these guys qualified to come back. They're not coming back. It's going to be a brand new staff. The only guy that you should look to be held over is Bones Fossil as the special teams
Starting point is 00:53:46 coordinator. And I think that the Titans Brass made that well known to these coaching candidates. We want to keep Bones Fossil in Tennessee and he wants to be back. Are you okay with that? And I think that they would have had to say yes to get hired. So you guys got to let go of all the old coaches. It's a new staff. It's time to move on. They're not bringing back to Nard Wilson. They're not bringing back Bohr-Dohar-Degree. Mike McCoy. Bones Fossil is the only one who will survive. Yeah, the night and day that the special teams took under Bones Fossil coming from Cole Anderson was, it was their best unit this past, this past season. And you felt like going out every game that the Titans had an advantage, at least in that
Starting point is 00:54:22 facet of the game. This is something that may, this question is something that we kind of reiterated already. But what style of offense do you see Sala wanting to run and who are potential OCs that makes sense under his leadership. We'll go outside of Mike McDaniel because I think that's probably like the number one choice on everybody's list. This question is from B French 2621 fellas. Is there anybody else that sticks in your mind as somebody who could be a potential fit if McDaniel goes elsewhere?
Starting point is 00:54:47 Brad, you're the offensive tackle. You're the offensive legend. What do you think Cam Ward needs around him on offense style-wise to succeed? The only time your offense is successful is when you've got a monster in the backfield or at least of the resemblance of a run game that's unstoppable because that's where everything else develops from. Robert Salas, smart enough to know that the very first thing an offense has to be productive at to be successful
Starting point is 00:55:14 is running the football. I don't care if you got a great quarterback back there or not. That great quarterback feeds off of the ability to be unpredictable of a balanced approach. You know, a team that has the ability to run the football, get tough yards, and then also be able to throw the football, taking big plays, big explosive plays downfield. So I think that his style will be running the football,
Starting point is 00:55:37 establishing the line of scrimmage, and then play action from there. You don't need a drop-back guy to create explosive offense. You can do those things just by taking what the defense gives you, which is what offenses are trained to do. An offense can have a million different plays in their playbook, right? But what determines what they call, the defense, what they're looking at. So I think that when you took a look at me being able to make the defense be in certain situations
Starting point is 00:56:05 because I'm able to control down in distances by being, you know, consistent. The past game isn't consistent. That's why percentages are lower. Running the football, it sounds boring. It sounds like, oh, there's other crap. But you know what, at the end of the day, when you look at the most recent teams that have had a lot of success, they have the ability to run the football. And the Titans certainly did that, at least down the stretch, they kind of developed a little bit of an identity as well.
Starting point is 00:56:33 They had four straight 100-yard performances. Tony Pollard ended up getting over 1,000. And I think there was something to build, at least with the offensive line, Bhop, that you at least now were able to work with something where a complete overhaul of that unit isn't necessary. Kevin Zitler may be the only one on his way out because he was, of course, only on a one-year deal and certainly getting a little bit. bit older. Do you guys have any final thoughts on Robert Sala, the coaching, the OC, before we wrap up this podcast here today? I'm just happy that the Titans didn't go the Matt Nagy route. I didn't want to, I didn't want to spend too much time being like, well, it's not Matt Nagy, so it's good, you know what I mean? Because that's just not too productive. But at the end of the day,
Starting point is 00:57:19 I think it's not just my lack of faith in Matt Nagy as a coach. I think it's what it would say about the organization. Like the Titans, got in a bad position because Mike Vrable hired his buddies to be offensive coordinator and wouldn't go outside the organization. And no shock that Mike Vrable got Josh McDaniels, who is a really good offensive coordinator, and now he's good. If Mike Vrable would have took Tim Kelly with him, you know, would Drake maybe having an MVP-level season and stuff? Probably not.
Starting point is 00:57:48 So I think it just, you know, it shows that Chad Brinker hired Mike Borgonzi, not John Eric Sullivan, his buddy from Green Bay. Mike Borgonzi hired Robert Sala, not his buddy, Matt Nagy, from, you know, Kansas City. Now, look, the NFL life. People say the NFL, life is a relationship business. You hire people that you know. You hire people you feel comfortable with.
Starting point is 00:58:14 Like, that's never going to go anywhere. If he hires Mike McDaniel, everyone's going to be cheering in the streets at that buddy hire, right? But I'm just happy that the Titans didn't just cop out and take the low-hanging fruit and the guy they felt comfortable with and actually went and got some outside talent that's the more talented option.
Starting point is 00:58:32 So to me, the big picture thing is not just I didn't want Matt Nagy because I don't think he's good, but what it means that the Titans are doing behind the scenes, I think that does mean something to me. Imagine you're a player like Arden Key and you're sitting in your locker in the locker room. Mike Vrable comes up and he puts his foot on your locker
Starting point is 00:58:55 and he's having a conversation with you. You can kind of imagine how that conversation is going, right? Brian Callahan does the same thing, walks into your locker. Why are you laughing, Julian? As soon as I said his name, you already responded, but where I'm going? Can you imagine Brian Callahan walking up, putting his foot on your locker and having this conversation with R&K? What is that conversation going like compared to me speaking? Now, Robert Sala walks in.
Starting point is 00:59:21 He does the exact same thing that the first two did. Which does Robert Sala give you the feeling that he's going to have the same kind of kind of conversation? conversation. Mike Rable. In other words, that identity to me is back. That level of accountability from player to player, from player to coach, to me is back when you've got a guy with that type of presence. So I would imagine those little individual conversations, especially with the most pertinent parts of this roster, that relationship building in itself right there will bring out the best in those young men, something that they haven't seen in a minute. So I'm just excited to see, you know, just this new era of Titans football. Because think about it, guys.
Starting point is 00:59:59 Robert Salah will be the face of the new Titans. The new Titans, meaning a new stadium, with a new coach that brings in a new everything. Look what Kurt Sunieti did in Indiana. It just showed you that hiring the right head coach, hiring the right head man can change your organization. almost instantaneously. And that's why I think that this young man has the opportunity to do. I say younger because I think Robert Salah's younger than me. He's 51. He's 51. He's got to be older than you, Brad.
Starting point is 01:00:36 You're looking 29 right now, my man. I appreciate you. Love you, Tyler. You're talking crap. I get it. But there's no damn way in the world. A few shows ago, Behop wanted somebody who commands the room and holds weight when they walk in the room. and at least according to at least all of us three,
Starting point is 01:00:55 I think we're in agreement that Robert Sala was the choice out of the finalists who indeed reflects that type of personality and alpha dog mentality. We'll see how it works out for the Titans because this offseason is not done, guys. We have an offensive coordinator and the rest of the staff to hire under Robert Sala, and we'll see how that gets done as we get closer and closer to the draft and camp and all of that fun stuff with the Tennessee Titans.
Starting point is 01:01:17 For now, I'm Julian Minnensohn. That's Tyler Rowland. And that's the legend Brad Hopkins. We'll talk to you guys next time.

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